Institute for Government

The Institute for Government welcomed Rt Hon Liz Truss MP to give a keynote speech on the economy. A year since her government’s Growth Plan – the September 2022 ‘mini-budget’ – including a programme of tax cuts and supply side reforms, the former prime minister set out her vision for how the government could enable the UK to achieve faster economic growth. Following her speech Liz Truss was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, the Director of the Institute for Government, before taking part in a Q&A with an invited audience.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. Data Bites aims to change that. This event was the 45th in our series, where the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers were: Penny Babb, Head of Policy and Standards at the Office for Statistics Regulation, on the review of the Code of Practice for Statistics. Ian Gordon, Head of Data at Parliament Restoration and Renewal on Data and the Built Environment Nic Granger, Director of Corporate and Chief Financial Officer at the North Sea Transition Authority and Chair of the Offshore Energy Data Strategy Taskforce, on digitalising offshore energy Kaveh Jahanshahi, Lead Data Scientist at the ONS Data Science Campus, on estimation of travel to work matrices The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

The Darlington Economic Campus is rapidly establishing itself as the civil service’s flagship office outside of London – and has been described by chancellor Jeremy Hunt as moving “decision makers and advisers closer to the communities we serve.”  So how has the Darlington Economic Campus changed the way policy is made? What difference has it made to the local area and is it contributing to the levelling up agenda? What are the factors behind the campus’s success and should it be used as a blueprint for future relocations? And what are the next steps in the government’s plan to relocate the civil servants from London?  A recent IfG report has evaluated the impact of the Darlington Economic Campus on the civil service and the local area and set out recommendations for current and future relocations.  At this event, which was held in Darlington, there was a welcome from Nigel Robinson from PA Consulting, and a short presentation from Jordan Urban, the report’s lead author. Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister, responded to the IfG's research. An expert panel discussion followed, featuring: Jo Crellin, Director General, Trading Systems at the Department for Business and Trade Mike Hughes, Business and Commercial Editor at The Northern Echo Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister Andrew Perkin, Business Growth and Investment Manager at Darlington Borough Council Beth Russell, Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by PA Consulting.

The government’s plans for capital projects have repeatedly shifted over the last decade. Capital budgets have been cut, then boosted, and now retrenchment is planned again. And major capital projects, such as HS2, have been subject to revisions in budget and scope. The five-year national infrastructure delivery plan and the national infrastructure and construction pipeline only apply to some projects and are still subject to change. This makes it difficult for the construction sector to plan, which can increase government costs and mean its capital budgets do not go as far. So what are the benefits of, and barriers to, a longer-term and more stable project pipeline? This event explored those key questions from both the government’s and industry’s perspective. To explore these questions and more, our expert panel included: Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission Steve Beechey, Group Public Sector Director at Wates Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Industry Urvashi Parashar, Chief Impact Officer and Chief Economist at the UK Infrastructure Bank The event was chaired by Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Wates Group.

There has been no shortage of central government attempts to support regional development over past decades, but these have been insufficient to close the widening gaps in geographical disparities, with efforts lacking scale, coordination, data and effective oversight, and policies ultimately proving short lived. So what can be done to fix the problem? The Levelling Up White Paper proposed several reforms to 'rewire Whitehall' to ensure the government delivered more effective regional policy, including the creation of a Levelling Up Advisory Council (LUAC) – an expert group reporting to the levelling up secretary of state – to provide insight, challenge, and advice to the government on its design and delivery of the levelling up policy agenda. This event will also consider how central government can best be organised to deliver effective long-term regional policy, whether the white paper’s reforms are the right ones, what difference structures like the Advisory Council make, and what else is needed. So what progress has the government made on implementing the white paper proposals? What difference have the structures set out in the white paper made already and is the LUAC fulfilling the purpose it was set up for? What are the key challenges for a government when trying to deliver cross-cutting policy? And are the structures in place for cross-government working, between central and devolved governments, adequate to deliver regional policy effectively? To discuss these questions and more, the Institute for Government brought together an expert panel. Andy Haldane, Chair of the Levelling Up Advisory Council and Chief Executive of the RSA Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and member of the Levelling Up Advisory Council The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government

How to restore trust in politics by strengthening standards in public life has been in the spotlight in recent years. The Labour Party has proposed a new, independent Ethics and Integrity Commission to “stamp out corruption in government, strengthen the rules and ensure they are enforced.” But how would that commission work in practice? If Labour forms the next government, what powers would the commission have to investigate alleged poor behaviour? How will it enforce its judgements? Who would sit on the commission and how will it work with government ministers? To answer all these questions and set out her vision for how to make politics work better at a time of depleted trust, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, gave a keynote speech at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Following her speech, Angela Rayner took part in a Q&A with the in-person and online audience.

Impartiality is a defining feature of the UK’s civil service – and one if its ‘core values’ – but the future of civil service impartiality is in the spotlight. Brexit, and the strained relationship between ministers and civil servants that characterised the Johnson and Truss governments, have seen ministers accuse officials of obstructing their agendas, with Dominic Raab attacking “increasingly activist” civil servants when he resigned from government. The ability of an impartial civil service to serve governments of any political persuasion has been widely acknowledged as one of its strengths for generations, but recent tensions have led to calls for more political appointees in government. So what can the UK learn from other countries? How do different governments approach the question of civil service impartiality? What are the benefits – and risks – of political appointments? And what is the right balance between impartial officials and political appointees? To explore these questions, and identify any lessons for the UK, the IfG brought together a panel of experts from around the world, including: Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Professor Donald Moynihan, McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington D.C Peter Woolcott AO, former Australian Public Service Commissioner This event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. Data Bites aims to change that. This event was the 44th in our series, where the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience.  This month's speakers were:  Stan Gilmour, National Risk Technology Lead at the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser, National Police Chief’s Council, to provide an update from his discussion at Data Bites #8 on the progress towards a Common Data Platform for cross-agency data collaboration in support of public health approaches to serious violence prevention and the potential for wider support to ‘whole of society’ change programmes Lex Jones, Chief Executive of the Registry Trust, on using better data to make better decisions Michał Poręba, Head of Profession for Data Architecture and Data Engineering at the Department for Business and Trade, on Data in DDaT: Our Perspective Jen Woolford, Director of Population Statistics at the Office for National Statistics, on the future of population statistics The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

The rule of law is a fundamental principle of a constitutional democracy – but in recent years it has been the subject of much debate. What role should the rule of law play? What is the government’s commitment to the rule of law? And what part should public law play in solving political disputes? As Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC MP acts at the intersection of politics and the law. She is Chief Legal Adviser to the Crown and advises the government on both domestic and international law. The Attorney General's Office oversees the Law Officers’ departments, which include the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office, and the Government Legal Department, where the Attorney General was herself a government lawyer for 17 years before being elected as an MP. She gave a keynote speech at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government. Following her speech the Attorney General took part in a Q&A with the in-person and online audience.

Devolution deals have transferred control of various budgets and functions – including over transport, skills, housing and planning – from central government to metro mayors and combined authorities in many parts of England. The devolution process is continuing. Five new mayors are due to be elected in 2024 – in the East Midlands, North East, York and North Yorkshire, Suffolk and Norfolk – and additional powers are being devolved to Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. A further wave of deals is expected before the 2024 general election, with Labour also committed to extending devolution if it forms the next government. So how can England’s cities and counties best negotiate and implement devolution deals? How should they establish effective new combined authorities to run devolved functions? And what lessons can be learnt from the past decade of devolution? The Institute for Government – in partnership with the University of Nottingham’s Institute for Policy and Engagement – hosted a launch event in Nottingham for its new report setting out evidence-based advice for how to make a success of devolution. After a welcome by Professor Jane Norman, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Nottingham, Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government, presented the report’s findings. There was then be a discussion among panellists including: Cllr Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and MP for Mansfield Professor Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham and Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe Richard Parker, Labour Party candidate in 2024 for Mayor of the West Midlands The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government.